Read about six of the 12 reading groups shadowing the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, which of the shortlisted books they are reading and why they wanted to be involved.
Houghton Reading Group, Houghton reading How to be Both by Ali Smith
We meet at the local pub to discuss books and leave book reviews anywhere and everywhere we can. We have a regular page in the Houghton Echo. Our philosophy is that book groups and reading should be fun, not a chore; if you haven’t read the book that’s fine. We are a quirky bunch and very much a rock and roll reading group. We love following this Prize and promoting female authors, have varied opinions of books through the group, so new fiction is exciting. You can follow them here
Bristol24/7 Reads, Bristol Reading Outline by Rachel Cusk
This is a reading group that’s not too restrictive about physical meet-ups. The reading groups take place online through discussions on social media and then reviews and collated views get posted on the magazine’s website. An interesting fact about us is that so far we are all writers – bloggers and journalists. We all love the shortlist as it includes several books we’d have chosen, such as Ali Smith’s How to Be Both and Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread. We also like an excuse to drink Baileys while reading.
Much Ado About Books, Hillingdon Reading A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
We are a group of women and one brave man. We choose either a book that one of us has loved and just has to talk about with other people, or novels that we would not usually choose to read ourselves. The group is made up of professionals working in theatre, marketing, audio visual services and psychology, so there is always a lively debate! Many of our book choices are made up of prize lists as we like to be up to date – one of our members is aiming to read the whole of the Baileys Prize longlist! We enjoy discussing our thoughts with each other in person and on social media and would love to ‘meet’ other like-minded book groups too! We’re here.
V-60 Book Group, Dartmoor reading The Bees by Laline Paull
Our group is called “The V-60 Book Group” because it began as the 60th birthday party for Vicki, one of our members. Our backgrounds are diverse; we bring a range of experience, literary tastes, literary expectations and opinions to our very lively discussions. Our membership crosses class and economic lines; our family and work backgrounds are widely varied too. Our collective experience stretches from the local to the wider world beyond, bringing a rich variety of perspectives to our book discussions. We are avid readers of women’s fiction and follow the Prize with interest.
Gloucestershire Lit Lovers and Yummy Scrummy Pudding Club, Tewkesbury reading A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
We comprise a social worker, a primary school teacher, a secondary school teacher, a physiotherapist, a chiropodist, a PA, a financial consultant, a saddler, a GP’s administrator and an interior designer. What we all have in common is books. One of us had not read a book since school. She joined for the puddings. To see her love of reading grow has been a highlight of 4 years as a book group. Our 11th member died in August of breast cancer, she is sorely missed and continues to inspire our choice of books. We always discuss what she would have thought of the books we read. Losing her so young makes us grab at life and make the most of our time together. We are never happier than when we are talking about what we have read. It’s agreat excuse for more pudding – maybe a Baileys cheesecake…one of our favourites! Meet us here .
Telford Ladies, Lambeth reading The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
We all live locally, some have children at the same school, some are neighbours, some have known each other for a long time and others are new to the area. I organised the book group as I work for a children’s literacy charity called Beanstalk so am devoted to the idea of everyone being able to have the opportunity to read for pleasure, relaxation and as a means of escapism from the stresses of everyday life. We are always looking for exciting new books to read and the chance to try books outside of our normal comfort zone. We are all passionate about female literature (we all think we could write a book!) We welcome the opportunity to share our ideas and use our brains which might otherwise be withering under the strains of parenthood!
Get involved
What do you think of the shortlisted titles? Which have you read and do you think there are any books missing? Follow the 12 reading groups as they shadow the Prize and join in the conversation.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter #BaileysPrize
